i think there are several things contributing to how this scene fits with dance music and its lo-fi mastering quality. i think it all relates to various perspectives on performance and background within the scene. with 100% silk, part of the story is that 100% silk is a sublabel of not not fun. so the inspiration comes more from the fetishistic lo-fi quality of noise music. i've played ital's records for my noise friends and they all say it's "dance music they can get behind". this also could be seen as a way to circumvent the gag reflex most hipsters (in SF at least) have when you start talking about going to clubs and more refined house music.
i think there is a live component to all of this as well. many of these groups perform all of these songs live on PA systems in the way a band would. sometimes the performances are a clubs or larger venues with powerful soundsystems, but when the projects are born it is a couple of people with an MPC, a few synthesizers and a couple drum machines. miracles club remixes most tracks before they play, so does magic touch and mi ami. teengirl fantasy has a freeform aesthetic to their playing where tight drum sequencing gives way to loose drumming on MIDI drum pads. some groups even believe this process informs their music as there is an improvisational quality to it, see this Blondes interview:
http://www.dummymag.com/features/2011/01/07/blondes-interview-meredith-monk-touch-is-what-we-re-in-danger-of-losing-/
all of these people are aware of the dance music that their music draws on, but the venues in which the music is conveyed and the idea of capturing something that can be recreated live (without Ableton) pushes mastering concerns to a lesser priority.
but there are also DJs in the camp too though and associations with venerable members of the dance music community (john talabot mentioned above and legowelt as well). beautiful swimmers are amazing DJs with deep collections (see their PS1 warmup mix) and their compositions are part original, part edit and seem slightly more informed by the traditional production techniques of dance music. this could be why they are more widely accepted and receive nods from Resident Adviser and more European circles.
my picks from the genre though are everything from the new L.I.E.S. (long island electrical systems) label (with contributions from Steve Summers, Marcos Cabral, Legowelt and other undiscovered talent). Future Times - with Slava, Protect-U, Beautiful Swimmers and most recently deep house act Juju & Jordash. Plus of course Miracles Club and Blondes (where RVNG seem to be cutting out a piece of the scene as well)
― ashra williams (san frandisco), Thursday, 6 October 2011 20:05 (twelve years ago) link
as far as the local SF scene goes there is a pretty vibrant DIY gearhead driven scene of house and electronic music conveyors, see bobby browser and WAV DWGS, roche, group rhoda and lots more. there is a monthly party called O.K. Hole where a lot of us get together and come out to support local talent.
― ashra williams (san frandisco), Thursday, 6 October 2011 20:10 (twelve years ago) link
this stuff is right in the zone of what I'm interested in but I need to catch up on a lot of it. I love Soft Metals. Future Times label is great.
― dmr, Thursday, 6 October 2011 20:17 (twelve years ago) link
i have seen miracles club, blondes and mi ami live this year and all sounded great live, both musically and sonically. i'm no fan of refined house music but i do think it's a shame that i'll skip playing the 100% silk records i have in my box in a set due to the poor fidelity of the mastering. i can't believe they are deliberately mastered and pressed badly to appeal to fans of noise music. oh well, at least i can still enjoy some of them in the comfort of my own home.
i love soft metals too but wouldn't put them in here.
― stirmonster, Thursday, 6 October 2011 20:34 (twelve years ago) link
I don't if they are deliberately mastered and pressed badly or just that the audience they are targeting won't be playing these on club systems so they don't spend the time/money to make them sound good in that context. If that makes sense?
― Badmotorfinger Debate Club (MFB), Thursday, 6 October 2011 20:54 (twelve years ago) link
feel like it would be useful to delineate clearly between arty types trying to do house and house types trying to be arty
Absolutely and also:
I think DJs and people in this thread (god forgive me) are making the connections a little bit.
V. curious to see some of this acts live.
― Badmotorfinger Debate Club (MFB), Thursday, 6 October 2011 20:56 (twelve years ago) link
maybe deliberately mastered and pressed badly to appeal to fans of noise music, but maybe also deliberately mastered and pressed badly to offend the sensibilities of DJs and club systems
like i said earlier, if DJs can't play the shit, it cuts off many traditional avenues for the music to get exposure, but it also lets the label and artists exercise a lot more control over how people perceive and experience the material
someone asked about H&LA upthread and they're kind of interesting because to me they represent the early/mid-00's crossover era grinding to a halt, their debut represented a sincere attempt to drag the entirety of house music's wild, wooly, queer-centric underground kicking and screaming into a major label crossover release, and the market rejected it. they got dropped from EMI pretty much immediately despite peerless, near-universal critical acclaim and a growing buzz as a fantastic live act
i'm sure that has nothing to do with why 100% silk records sound like they do but i like the idea that the larger romantic ideal of a crossover record has been been so violently despoiled that we are now faced with the reality of house labels that do not want DJs playing their records
― james brooks, Thursday, 6 October 2011 21:00 (twelve years ago) link
I'm not really feeling most of the stuff posted itt, except for the Octo Octa EP, which I love. I think a lot of this stuff I hear and I like the synths/whatever, but the drums sound so weak.
― turfin' bird (The Reverend), Thursday, 6 October 2011 21:06 (twelve years ago) link
great thread
― funk master friendly (moonship journey to baja), Thursday, 6 October 2011 21:36 (twelve years ago) link
C.L.A.W.S. http://soundcloud.com/claws (part of OK hole san frandisco mentioned)
― jaxon, Thursday, 6 October 2011 21:49 (twelve years ago) link
I think the comparison with H&LA just throws into relief how hetero-caucasian the whole vibe of this stuff is. :/
― turfin' bird (The Reverend), Thursday, 6 October 2011 21:50 (twelve years ago) link
dunno if that's an entirely fair characterization of the stuff mentioned in the OP, especially TGF
― james brooks, Thursday, 6 October 2011 22:10 (twelve years ago) link
^ yea i'm not sure where that's coming from? like at all...
and i was about to question why permanent vacation and john talabot were getting mentions itt, from what i can tell this scene wants nothing to do with the current european incarnation of house/techno (despite the awesomeness of talabot's "cheaters" remix and the fact that he uses maria minerva in his equally awesome xlr8r mix). it seems like (again, release-heavy and diy) dudes like omar-s and legowelt are definitely huge influences, and what i can't help but notice is how all these acts code as undeniably AMERICAN. seems like a reaction to the european dance music establishment more than anything, which was a huge turnoff at first tbh
this also could be seen as a way to circumvent the gag reflex most hipsters (in SF at least) have when you start talking about going to clubs and more refined house music
this is unfortunately OTM
― it's time for the purpculator (psychgawsple), Thursday, 6 October 2011 22:34 (twelve years ago) link
yea that was probably a mistake on my part, i guess my reasoning was: 1) sometimes they used acid lines and 2) portland
― it's time for the purpculator (psychgawsple), Thursday, 6 October 2011 22:37 (twelve years ago) link
I'm sure a distaste for refined music played a bit of a role, but it's not like the noise/indie scene these people are drifting in from are known for their global stance.
― Jedmond, Thursday, 6 October 2011 22:49 (twelve years ago) link
as far as the fidelity question goes, i think another real distinction between a sig. amount of uk/european house and this stuff comes down to hardware vs software. which would theoretically work in the hipsters' favor if they pressed these releases with more care/better mastering
― it's time for the purpculator (psychgawsple), Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:04 (twelve years ago) link
what would they sound like if they pressed the releases with more care? apparat?
― funk master friendly (moonship journey to baja), Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:15 (twelve years ago) link
or just h&la? because i don't think they'd actually sound like the dfa.
― funk master friendly (moonship journey to baja), Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:16 (twelve years ago) link
dunno about the hardware vs. software thing, i remember reading interview quotes from ital somewhere where he talked about making his tracks in audacity and going "shhhhh" into his computer mic to make the hi-hat sounds
feel like the differences between these guys and more conventional house producers run deeper than just "these guys use synths" and "these guys use software"
― james brooks, Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:17 (twelve years ago) link
how did dissident records sound in clubs? i live in the states so i'm not sure i ever actually got to lay eyes on one
― james brooks, Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:18 (twelve years ago) link
i bet, given the circuit-bending influence, that they are at least not above things like hardware emulation and DSP
― funk master friendly (moonship journey to baja), Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:19 (twelve years ago) link
dissident stuff sounds ridiculous, as does the underrated supersoul label
ital uses a laptop, yes, but a lot of these acts don't. i have no idea what it'd sound like with better mastering, i guess the future times/l.i.e.s. stuff is an example of this tho
― it's time for the purpculator (psychgawsple), Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:24 (twelve years ago) link
this is absolutely true, i was referring to fidelity tho
― it's time for the purpculator (psychgawsple), Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:25 (twelve years ago) link
but less chilled than future times
― funk master friendly (moonship journey to baja), Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:31 (twelve years ago) link
iirc the ital stuff is done on a computer but the mi ami record was done under a specific remit to use hardware samplers or trackers or something
sort of enjoy the notion of house sonics being explored by people who are more promiscuous in terms of production/process, fetishizing the sound of old house records in a more abstract way than retro-minded producers elsewhere that fetishize the hardware that was used to make them or in the case of the NYC necro-disco hotel lounge edit house thing, samples of the records themselves
― james brooks, Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:32 (twelve years ago) link
the case of the NYC necro-disco hotel lounge edit house thing
^^ new thread?!?
― funk master friendly (moonship journey to baja), Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:36 (twelve years ago) link
saw this stuff described as "art-school techno" in a review today
― the men who stare at gotye (electricsound), Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:38 (twelve years ago) link
link?
― funk master friendly (moonship journey to baja), Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:38 (twelve years ago) link
sort of enjoy the notion of house sonics being explored by people who are more promiscuous in terms of production/process
Is this comparison limited to the examples you then cite? Or just a general statement?
Because i don't think house music is particularly afflicted by a lack of sonic promiscuity.
― Tim F, Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:47 (twelve years ago) link
http://www.yellowgreenred.com/
ctrl+f innergaze
― the men who stare at gotye (electricsound), Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:48 (twelve years ago) link
what is necro-disco?!?
― funk master friendly (moonship journey to baja), Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:49 (twelve years ago) link
http://www.drben.net/files/China/Source_Materials/BooksALL/Communism/Mao-ManNotGod-FrThQ.jpg
― funk master friendly (moonship journey to baja), Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:53 (twelve years ago) link
whoops wrong thread
TS: standard tropical Italo dub vs NYC necro-disco hotel lounge edit house
― psychedelicatessen (seandalai), Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:54 (twelve years ago) link
i want to hear this impossibly exotic-sounding yet no doubt totally mundane crap house music!
― funk master friendly (moonship journey to baja), Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:55 (twelve years ago) link
― Tim F, Thursday, October 6, 2011 6:47 PM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark
yr right i take it back nvm
― james brooks, Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:57 (twelve years ago) link
he probably means wolf and lamb
― it's time for the purpculator (psychgawsple), Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:57 (twelve years ago) link
again, i think a lot of this is about process and a lot of aversion to the use of laptops in performances (it's a philosophy i also subscribe to in my compositions). steve summers for instance will use only hardware on his performances and for his remixes he will do a single take using his live setup. the use of shhhh sounds for hats and other lo-fi sampling/production techniques is very true to house's roots as well, which is where i believe the philosophy derives. there's an idolization of people like rick wilhite who did not have access to serious mastering techniques and much of his stuff was legitimate bedroom studio production. whether these artists have access to mastering or the funds to spend on it is another question, but i feel like that is where the inspiration comes from.
― ashra williams (san frandisco), Thursday, 6 October 2011 23:58 (twelve years ago) link
necro house must mean like art department or wolf + lamb black
standard italo dub ... is that like social disco club?
― funk master friendly (moonship journey to baja), Friday, 7 October 2011 00:00 (twelve years ago) link
but like i said there are connections to the more traditional house scene. On The Prowl just came out with a release on their sublabel Let's Play House (inspired by the monthly of the same name) that features a beautiful swimmers remix of a Runaway track. Runaway is undoubtedly part of the more refined sounding house music, but they don't perform live and neither do Beautiful Swimmers. all of these people are running in very close circles and we are a small community of like-minded individuals but people are doing very different things.
― ashra williams (san frandisco), Friday, 7 October 2011 00:02 (twelve years ago) link
i don't think H&LA and Wolf + Lamb really belong itt
I thought Wolf + Lamb were being cited as a negative point of comparison.
― Tim F, Friday, 7 October 2011 00:06 (twelve years ago) link
house producers have been fetishizing the past since forever, and altho the necro-disco comment almost makes sense within the context of that post i agree that h&la and w+l do not belong here at all
― it's time for the purpculator (psychgawsple), Friday, 7 October 2011 00:11 (twelve years ago) link
sorry to harp on about this but i don't think the mastering / pressing thing is an aesthetic choice but rather down to not really giving it much consideration.
dissident records sound great btw.
― stirmonster, Friday, 7 October 2011 00:22 (twelve years ago) link
Legowelt's record label is based in Portland now, I believe
― blank, Friday, 7 October 2011 01:50 (twelve years ago) link
did he move to portland?
― funk master friendly (moonship journey to baja), Friday, 7 October 2011 02:01 (twelve years ago) link
I dunno I just got an email from their mailing list last year saying they wouldn't be accepting orders for a month due to moving to Portland. Most of the stuff on that label is just nice dark lofi ambient stuff, not all that jackin.
― blank, Friday, 7 October 2011 02:57 (twelve years ago) link
I can see NNF folks being way into Legowelt's Smackos and Franz Falckenhaus stuff.
― blank, Friday, 7 October 2011 03:01 (twelve years ago) link
which label?
― funk master friendly (moonship journey to baja), Friday, 7 October 2011 03:07 (twelve years ago) link